UNHCR Regional Trends Mid-2023 Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons
Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
14.3 million
People UNHCR protects and/or assists in Asia-Pacific
12.7 million
Forcibly displaced in the region, including refugees, people in refugee-like situations, asylum-seekers and IDPs
7.4 million
Refugees, including people in refugee-like situations, and asylum-seekers in the region
5.3 million
IDPs in the region
2.5 million
Stateless persons in the region
Population figures in Asia-Pacific
- 6% increase in the total number of forcibly displaced people compared to end-2022
- Refugees (including people in refugee-like situation) and asylum-seekers increased by 5% from 7M to 7.4M
- IDPs increased to 5.3M, a 7% increase from 5M at end-2022
Refugees from Asia-Pacific
-Afghanistan overtook Ukraine to become the second largest country of origin of refugees (including refugee-like) globally, with 6.1 million hosted by 106 countries and territories globally.
-Myanmar is the second largest country of origin of refugees (including refugee-like) in and the sixth largest globally. There are 1.27 million refugees and people in refugee-like situations from Myanmar. The vast majority (99.7%) are hosted within the region, with over three-quarters hosted in Bangladesh.
SDG 10.7.4
-SDG indicator 10.7.4 is a useful way to identify the countries of origin with the most refugees relative to their number of inhabitants.
-The countries that have seen the greatest proportion of their national population becoming refugees are Afghanistan (12,600 per 100,000 inhabitants), Myanmar (2,300 per 100,000), Bhutan (800 per 100,000), Sri Lanka (700 per 100,000) and Iran (Islamic Republic of) (200 per 100,000).
Refugees in Asia-Pacific
-The Islamic Republic of Iran and Türkiye each hosted 3.4 million refugees (including refugee-like), the largest populations worldwide. The vast majority of refugees and people in refugee-like situations in the Islamic Republic of Iran are Afghans.
-Pakistan is the fifth-largest refugee hosting country globally, with 2.1 million refugees and people in refugee-like situations (almost all of whom are Afghans).
-Bangladesh is the tenth-largest refugee hosting country, with 961,800 refugees (mainly Rohingya).
Asylum-seekers from Asia-Pacific
Afghanistan (324,500) is by far the largest country of origin for asylum seekers from the Asia-Pacific region, followed by China (122,000), India (118,100), Iran (Islamic Rep. of) (77,800) and Bangladesh (65,600).
Asylum-seekers in Asia-Pacific
Given capacity constraints and limited protection value for refugee recognition, Pakistan does not conduct RSD for all asylum seekers, other than for those where there may be a protection dividend such as resettlement.
In Malaysia, the strategic use of Refugee Status Determination (RSD) is utilized. As a result, some asylum seekers from populations with a high presumption of eligibility are provided with UNHCR card/documentation, but a decision may never be issued owing to a lack of any additional protection value in conducting mandate RSD. Those cases that are identified for resettlement needs would have to undergo a mandate RSD, however.
Internally Displaced Persons
The newly displaced IDPs during the first half of 2023 were in Myanmar (443,000) and the Philippines (80,000).
Solutions
During the first half of 2023, some 6,300 refugees returned to their country of origin in the region, including some 6,100 Afghans and some 240 Sri Lankans.
During the first half of 2023, some 175,000 IDPs returned mainly in Myanmar (89,400) and the Philippines (82,900).
Myanmar Situation Population
3.7 million
People with and for whom UNHCR works from Myanmar in Asia and the Pacific region
Rohingya in Asia-Pacific
1.7 million
Rohingya
62%
are Refugees
9%
are IDPs
28%
are non-displaced Rohingya
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